Add Impact to Your Empty Calories

Anyone who’s ever absently scarfed down half a bag of chips or sat too close to the office jelly bean bowl can easily see snacks as the enemy. One-third of the calories in an average American diet come from snacks, according to nutritionist Christopher Mohr.

Now imagine if all that munching could be meaningful. Three social enterprises are trying to bridge that gap.

Project 7 drives donations to 11 partner nonprofits through sale of everyday items like gum and mints. For Two Degrees Food, altering the snacking landscape means using a buy one, give one model to donate meals to malnourished kids for every nutrition bar the company sells. HUMAN Healthy Vending—recognizing that sometimes it’s hardest to find the motivation to help yourself—is using vending machines to fight obesity.